Higgins announces $44 million Buffalo River project to proceed

by jmaloni

Press release

Thu, Apr 18th 2013 12:15 pm

Congressman
recently asked for public/private clean-up effort to be a federal
priority

Congressman
Brian Higgins, NY-26, received confirmation that the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency has authorized $22 million for the
next stage of Buffalo River restoration. The federal funding will be
matched dollar for dollar by a consortium of non-federal funding
partners, through a partnership agreement between the Honeywell
Corporation and Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper, for a combined $44
million project.

"This
commitment of federal funding provides the green light to a project
that has both ecological and economic consequences that will benefit
Western New York for generations to come," said Higgins, a member
of the congressional Great Lakes task force. "We appreciate the
EPA's recognition of its importance and applaud the efforts of
those supporting the rebirth of the Buffalo River locally."

"Honeywell
is proud to be working in partnership with the Great Lakes National
Program Office of EPA, the Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper, the DEC, and
the Army Corps on a cleanup that reflects the community's vision of
a restored Buffalo River. The remediation utilizes each partner's
knowledge, resources and expertise and could be a catalyst for
economic development as well as expanded recreational opportunities.
We appreciate Congressman Higgins' leadership in ensuring that
critical federal funds are secure," said Jay Kelly, Honeywell
Buffalo Research Lab site leader.

"Riverkeeper
commends the U.S. EPA for authorizing the project to move forward,
said Jill Jedlicka, Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper executive director.
"We thank Congressman Higgins and our restoration partners for
their unwavering commitment to the Buffalo River, and our hopeful
that this decision will allow our team to commence dredging this
year."

Following
stakeholder concerns based on agency communication that federal
funding would be impacted due to budgetary constraints, on March 7,
Higgins wrote
to the EPA regional administrator and Great Lakes national program
manager urging
swift action
and full funding for the project contained within the Buffalo River
area of concern.

Through
a unique collaborative effort, federal and state government agencies,
Honeywell, Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper and other community partners
are working to address the needs of the Buffalo River following
decades of environmental degradation. The first phase of the project began
in August of 2011.
With support from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers began dredging contaminated sediments. The
funding authorized by the EPA will support a second phase remediation
project, scheduled to begin later this year, occurring along a 6.2
miles stretch of the Buffalo River shoreline and a 1.4 mile area in
the city ship canal. (Map)

In
an effort to clean up polluted areas in the Great Lakes, the U.S. and
Canada have outlined remedial action plans to address the areas of
concern in both countries through the U.S.-Canada Great Lakes Water
Quality Agreement. The Buffalo River is one of 26 areas of concern in
the U.S. Additional information on the Buffalo River Area of Concern
is available at: http://www.epa.gov/greatlakes/aoc/buffalo/index.html.
More information on the project can be found at: BuffaloRiverRestoration.org.